Napoleon’s Line Infantry - From the Invasion of Russia to Waterloo

Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia marked a major turning point in his reign. His Grande Armee, consisting of over half a million men, was decimated within six months, leaving only about 10,000 survivors. The campaign cost over a million lives, including soldiers and civilians. Historian Paul Dawson examines the uniforms and equipment of the more than 120 regiments that participated in the invasion and later campaigns. His research, based on over 1,000 archive boxes from the Service Historique de l'Armee de Terre and the Archives Nationales, provides unprecedented detail about the army's clothing and equipment. Dawson's study reveals the adoption of the 1806 and Bardin regulations and their practical implementation. Each year, regiments were inspected, and soldiers were issued clothing and equipment, with repairs recorded. New recruits paid for their gear through deductions from their wages, and any damage due to misuse was charged to them. The army faced constant challenges in maintaining uniforms and supplies, from simple vests to more specialized items like epaulettes and tools for sapeurs. This groundbreaking book offers rare insights into the French line infantry's attire, featuring period illustrations and photographs of existing uniforms, shedding light on what soldiers wore during Napoleon's final campaigns. AUTHOR: Paul L. Dawson BSc Hons M. Res MIFA FINS has had a lifelong passion for archaeology and history, holding both a degree in archaeology, and a master's degree in history. Over the last twenty-five years he has written almost fifty books, primarily on the period 1660 to 1831, exploring the relationship between political and religious dissent with the state, equine nutrition and biomechanics, as well as the history of his home city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Perhaps he is best known for his series of ground-breaking books on the Waterloo Campaign of 1815 and his studies of the uniforms and equipment of the French army 1792-1815. Outside of writing and research, he is a gifted equestrian, riding for film and TV, as well as competing dressage and teaching classical equitation. In his free time, he is a church musician ? both organist, choir director and solo singer ? and lay minister with the General Assembly of Unitarians and Free Christians. Following a severe traumatic brain injury, resulting in speech, cognition and some mobility issues, he is a campaigner for disability rights for others recovering from brain injury. 200 colour illustrations